Ghosted
by Terminus Verso
Summary: Danny failed to stop Dan, and now only an apocalyptic world remains. In a last ditch effort to escape, Danny crafts a portal that will allow him to travel to another dimension. Good news: It worked. Bad news: Now he's stuck with a paranoid man dressed in a bat inspired costume.
1. Prologue

Amity Park - a supposedly great place to live - was far from inhabitable. Over the past years it transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland where only one half-living being remained. The town that once held many citizens, both living and dead, laid in ruins. Buildings were crumbled and cracked; some reduced to nothing more than piles of rubble. Roads and sidewalks bore numerous fissures, any remotely earthy spots of land showed no signs of life. Not even a single blade of grass. Rusty abandoned cars were haphazardly scattered across the derelict roads. A few even made permanent residency in the sides of dilapidated houses.

Rotten dismembered corpses littered the streets like in a scene from a horror movie. Many things obscured the roads: Fallen lampposts, power lines, chunks of asphalt/concrete, and et cetera. Unless someone knew the town like the back of their hand, it was impossible to navigate.

The sky glowed an unearthly shade of green - a color that could only be associated with the supernatural. One that did not belong in the realm of the living. Regardless of the time of day, neither the sun nor moon made their presence known. The only indication of the current time was the distinct lack of light, aside from the sky's unnatural luminescence.

The despair. The pure hate induced destruction. It was all caused by one being. A ghost with a stolen name. An inhuman creature that gained a reputation as the bane of the living: _Phantom_. No, this beast was not the hero Amity Park came to respect and love. This malevolent spirit was a mere echo of an untold future. A future that never occurred, yet, somehow haunts the original timeline. Phantom - _Dan_ Phantom to be exact, lurks and lingers in Amity Park. His home town. But he was not the only one residing in the ruins of the town. The true hero of Amity Park - the savior of the Ghost Zone - _Danny_ Phantom snuck through the shadows.

However, his accidental carelessness drew some unwanted attention from the local sinister specter. Now Danny had no choice but to _literally_ run for his life. A dingy black hoodie and ragged jeans engulfed his sickly thin frame as he bolted down the street, trying to get as far away from Fenton Works as possible. The hood was pulled over his head, long black bangs peaked out from under it. Any visible skin bore a concerning amount of filth and grim, but underneath the protective coating of dirt his skin was as white as a sheet.

Based on appearance alone, Danny could easily be mistaken for a teenager. A very _unclean_ teenager… He did not look a day over fifteen. Though, he suspected, a number of white hairs hid under the obscene layer of dirt on his head. Whether they were caused by stress or overuse of his ghost powers, he had no clue. Unfortunately, his true age remained a mystery even to himself. Living in a world where night and day were practically indistinguishable made it hard to keep track of time. Especially when survival was the highest priority.

"You can't run forever, Daniel!" The ghostly, masculine voice of _Dan_ roared in the distance.

The shout of rage only encouraged Danny to move faster. His superhuman speed caused the rubber on his worn red and white sneaker squeak against the asphalt road. _Maybe not, but I sure as hell can try._ After years of hiding, planning, and plotting his escape, Danny wasn't about to get caught now. He ducked under and jumped over every obstacle in his path with ease, a sole destination in mind: his base of operations.

The old 'Guys in White' bunker he dwelled in contained the single most important thing in his life. A dimensional portal he had been slaving over in secret for months. Maybe, more accurately, one and a half years… That portal was the reason Danny risked leaving his safe haven on a day Dan usually wandered around the ruins of Amity Park. Despite his current situation, it was worth it because he now possessed the final piece of his creation. The piece that could get the portal up and running. An ectoplasm fueled power cell, courtesy of the old ghost portal. It laid securely in the front pocket of his hoodie.

Danny veered into a well concealed alley - the nearest entrance to sewer system housing his hideout - shoes harshly skidding on the ground as he turned. Upon approaching the manhole, he dropped to his knees and swiftly pried it open with his bare hands. The sewers were never his favorite hiding place, but he grew accustomed to the disadvantages of living in them. Plus, it was one of the best place to hide from his evil alternate self. An ungodly odor comprised of rotting flesh, bodily fluids, and unmentionable things wafted out of the open manhole. Any person with a decent sense of smell would immediately be deterred. And, while Danny did have enhanced senses due to his ghostly nature, the smell alone was not enough to scare him away.

Without a single ounce of hesitation, Danny jumped into the depths of the sewer. Darkness encompassed him - the only source of light being a path of dim glowing moss. The disgusting liquid flooding the tunnel made a sickening _sloshing_ sound when he sprinted through it.

As Danny navigated the maze of tunnels, he was forced to come to a sudden halt. Nearly being choked by his hoodie in the process. _Fuck!_ His heart pounded against his rib cage, every drop of blood ran cold - colder than usual. If Danny still had a healthy skin tone it would have gotten five shades paler. He jerked around, fearing the sight awaiting him, only to see the hood of his hoodie caught on a broken pipe. _Damn rundown sewers._ Yanking and pulling on the hood did nothing to free it, or him. It was permanently stuck to the rusty old pipe.

Danny frozen, ceasing his escape attempts when a ghastly voice echoed through the tunnel, "Daniel!" Dan was getting closer, closer than Danny was comfortable with. _Damn!_ Panic bubbled in his chest. His breath quickened. If he got caught now… Well, Danny did not want to think about what would happen. In an act of desperation, he slipped out of the oversized hoodie, leaving it hanging on its cursed trap. A mangled black T-shirt was left in its place. _Goodbye, hoodie!_

He snatched the power cell out of its fabric prison before bolting down another tunnel. Just as Danny turned the corner a flash of blue and white appeared in the corner of his eye. Dan, no doubt, closing in on him. Thankfully, a familiar metal door came into view. A door crafted out of solid steel with hints of ecto-ranium, and, for some reason, had a round tempered glass window. The 'GIW' clearly didn't think their design through, unless they wanted a magnificent view of sewage. Danny made a beeline for the bunker's entrance. A sigh of relief brushed past his lips as he kicked the door open. The weight of his fears instantaneously lifted from his chest.

Once safely inside, he slammed the door shut without any regard for how much noise it would make. Danny immediately pushed a series of buttons on a console next to the door. The numerous locks littering the door snapped shut, and the ghost shield activated. _I'd like to see Dan try to weasel his way into here._

Now that Danny did not need worry about a slow and painful death, he took a moment to look over the bunker, knowing that he would never _willingly_ see it again. The bunker was by no means large. In fact, it was roughly the same size as his childhood home's basement. The wall and floor were black, only the ceiling managed to keep a whitish color. Metal tables, shelves, and cabinets sat against the walls. A makeshift bed - blankets, pillows, and random bits of cloth - laid in a corner. Directly in the middle of the room was a device that looked suspiciously like a ghost portal. But one object drew his attention away from everything else.

A small, colorful urn stood mournfully on a table. The sight alone was enough to make Danny want to break down into tears…

 _"Dani, why? Why did you leave these wounds untreated?!"_

 _"It's okay, Danny… I had a good run, even kicked some evil ass along the way."_

 _"You can't leave me! I-I can't defeat Dan alone…"_

 _"Then do what Fentons do best. Something stupid, a little bit crazy, but completely backed by science."_

 _"Danielle… Dani, please wake up."_

Danny's reminiscing was cut short when Dan decided to make his presence known by forcefully banging on the bunker's door. The sudden sound nearly startled him half to death, or completely to death considering he was already half dead. His grip on the power cell tightened so much that it creaked under the pressure. "You cannot escape me, Daniel!" Dan hissed, still beating his fists against the door. Danny knew Dan had no means of entering the bunker, but that didn't stop him from hurrying to the dimensional portal.

He shoved the power cell into its slot and slammed a fist down on a bright red button. _The sooner I leave, the sooner I don't need to look at Dan's face for the rest of eternity…_ The machine whirred and squeaked. It took a painstaking amount of time for the metal doors to slide open. Blue electricity flashed in the very back of the device before fading. _Please, please work!_ Danny hit the button once again, internally panicking. If this did not work than all his effort over the past year or so was for nothing. _Come on, work!_ A fist made contact with the button once more. This time instead of vanishing, the sparks of blue danced along the device's entrance, slowly taking the form of a portal. The two shouted simultaneously as the blue swirling vortex stabilized.

" _Yes_!" Danny cried, tears of joy streaming down his face.

" _No_!" Dan screeched in rage.

Danny ran over to his 'bed' and retrieved a duffel bag of hard earned mementos, throwing it over his shoulder as he walked back over to his creation. Once in front of the portal, he turned toward the bunker door. He could clearly see the seething rage on Dan's face through the tiny window. A victorious grin slowly spread across Danny's face, which seemed to anger Dan even more. The ghost continued to bang on the door, screeching all kinds of obscenities.

Danny shifted his attention back to his exit. Normally, he would be worried about Dan chasing him where he goes, but this machine had a special surprise. The device was programmed to self-destruct after he used it to ensure Dan would not be able to follow him. "See you never, Dan!" Danny taunted, jumping into the blue vortex. The last thing he heard was Dan screaming 'Get back here!' before the world shifted to black.


	2. Chapter 1

_Author Note: Well, I honestly did not expect this story to receive so much love considering how half-*ssed the prologue is. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites._

 _Personally, I am not entirely happy with this chapter, but I figured I have left you guys waiting long enough. I'm actually starting to get back into writing again, so all my stories should be receiving an update eventually. What story do you think I should update next?_

* * *

The waxing moon remained hidden from prying eyes as the darkness of night overtook daylight. This winter night was like many others. Deep grey clouds loomed over Gotham City like a foreboding warning, fog ominously shrouded the empty streets and alleyways below. A sharp chill attacked all those foolish enough to be outside without proper clothing. The threat of ice and snow intimidated the homeless and abandoned. Crimes, both petty and grand, were being committed by thieves and villains alike. But over the past year they had gained someone to fear. A myth. A legend. _A hero_. The fabled hell bat that dwells in umbrae underneath the moon's brilliant light. All criminals cowered at the sight of Gotham's personal protector - the resident wraith of shadows: Batman.

The world thought the hero to be nothing more than a tall tale. A wish concocted by the desperate, suffering citizens of a crime infested city. Everyone believed the city's people heard stories of other grand superheroes - Superman of Metropolis, Flash of Central City, Green Arrow of Star City, and so on - and decided they needed their own. A symbol they could be proud of. A being that would always prevail over those with malicious intent and protect the innocent. However, the citizens of that special hellhole knew the truth. Batman was very real, and currently on the prowl. In fact, the dark knight in question just stopped his fourth robbery.

The elusive vigilante roughly tied three masked men to a flickering lamppost outside of a popular clothing store. The fiends had been trying to get away with stealing a plethora of expensive, warm winter clothing. While Batman felt some sympathy for the freezing homeless men, he also knew plenty of non-illegal options were available. Homeless shelters and soup kitchens had received a hardy donation from him, in hopes of aiding those in need. And in order to lower this winter's clothing and blanket related crimes. Alas, it appears his non-vigilante efforts were not enough…

Once the sound of police sirens blaring in the distance reached his ears, Batman knew he had over stayed his welcome. The vigilante and the local law enforcement had a rocky relationship. Some policemen and policewomen thought he was no better than the criminals he caught; others thought he was a hero that protects the civilians of their cesspool of a city. Sometimes, Batman agreed with the former. While Batman had done a lot of good for the city, he had also inadvertently caused a decent amount of bad. For example, the creation of the Joker - one of his greatest mistakes - was an unfortunate consequence of his actions. In other words, _his_ _fault_.

Batman reached down and grabbed the grappling hook off his belt, carefully aiming for the store's roof. One of the braver men hissed and spat obscenities at him as he flew onto the rooftop. Upon his landing the comm in his ear sprung to life. He stopped to listen, in case a dire situation had arose.

" _Master Br-_ " Alfred - his surrogate father and butler - started before Batman quickly interrupted.

"No names in the field." It was very important that no one discover his secret identity: Bruce Wayne - Gotham's richest citizen and local white knight. While his tech was as secure as possible, it could still be hacked if a skilled enough hacker set their sights on it. And he had no intention of his identity being compromised because of a careless mistake.

The British man replied with a polite kind of sass only he was capable of, " _Ah, yes. Please forgive my rudeness,_ Batman _. An old soul such as myself still has issues getting use to your nightly expeditions, and your insistence of code names._ "

"Any police reports or crimes?" he asked, the typical rough growl present in his voice.

" _No, the city is quiet for the time being._ " There was a brief pause before the butler continued. " _Perhaps you would benefit from returning home early. Crime has been slow tonight, surely the GCPD can handle any other incidents._ " One year into crime fighting and Alfred had yet to give up on getting Bruce home early. _I'm not sure if I should be happy he cares or offend because he still treats me like a child…_ While Bruce could drink alcohol if he wanted to, he wasn't any older than the legal age. Meaning he was at the ripe age of twenty-one.

Batman countered Alfred's reasoning with his own, "True, but theft rates are at an all-time high in winter due to the cold weather. All the robberies I stopped tonight were at major clothing stores."

" _That may be the case. However, if I remember correctly you only slept for three hours last night, and have a very important business meeting tomorrow._ "

 _A meeting… Of course._ Both the Bruce and Batman persona loathed meetings, but they were a necessary evil.

"Just reschedule it." A necessary evil that he would rather avoid for as long as possible.

" _No. You have left them waiting long enough. I will give you one hour to get home before I come find you myself._ " Batman sighed. Alfred always knew what to say in order to convince him to quit patrol early. Fortunately, the man did not pull the 'I will come find you' card often. The first time Alfred made that threat Bruce thought he was bluffing, but that could not be further from the truth. The butler went above and beyond to drag him home. Batman really did not want a repeat of that incident.

"Okay, Agent A. I'll return to the cave soon." 'Soon' translated into about thirty to forty-five minutes, and Alfred was aware of that.

Batman continued his journey with a new purpose: To watch over the city from the Wayne Enterprise building before retiring for the night. Though he would never admit it, he enjoyed standing atop the tallest structure in Gotham and looking over the streets. It made him feel powerful. _Feared_. Like he was an unstoppable force of nature that put evildoers in their place.

As he flew across the rooftops two police cruisers sped down the street, heading for the location where the criminals were tied. Other than that, nothing noteworthy happened during his travels. Batman reached the towering building rather quickly as no attempted thefts, rapes, or muggings caught his attention. He proudly stood atop his building, staring down at the streets below. Suddenly, he was overcome with the desire to look up. Upon inspecting the sky on a whim, Batman noticed something - _someone_ falling towards him. He instinctively held out his arms to catch the person. They landed gracelessly in his arms, and, thankfully, not on the ground with a sickening crunch. The person was a teenage boy no older than fifteen - that inexplicably fell right out of the sky.

This was certainly an interesting turn of events. And that was saying a lot considering he battles a killer clown, a mutant crocodile, an odd man obsessed with condiments, and et cetera on a daily basis. But nothing like this has ever occurred during his time as Batman…

Immediately after catching the teen, a duffel bag that he could only assume belonged to the boy landed a few inches away from them. Batman carefully shifted the teen in his grasp to a more comfortable position, while staring up at the sky in suspicion. When nothing else threatened to barrel down toward the Earth he began to examine the unconscious raven-haired boy. A torn, ratty black T-shirt barely covered the kid's stomach, revealing gruesome scars no child should have. Batman winced at the sight of a few scar that were most likely not fun to obtain. From burns to simple cuts, the kid had a scar for almost everything. The teen's pants weren't all that better than his shirt. In fact they were worse. A questionable brown substance clung to the jean fabric and a number of holes littered every inch of it. The dark colored sneakers were worse for wear as well.

As Batman moved to place the teen on the ground, he realized that the boy was far, far too light for a child his age. The kid was skinnier than he should be; every single rib could be counted. Even the rise and fall of the child's chest was worrisome - practically nonexistent. Batman hastily checked the boy's vitals. After five excruciatingly long minutes passed, Batman could say for certain that the boy was indeed breathing, as well as extremely malnourished and in dire need of a real doctor.

The next, more prominent, issue was that god awful smell. It was painfully obvious that the teen had not taken a proper shower or bath in months. Maybe years. Dirt and grim coated the boy's skin like a disgusting black armor. His long black hair was tangled, and filthy enough that Batman would not be surprised if black was not the boy's true hair color. But the smell. Oh, that _ungodly_ smell. The dreadful stink of the sewers: No problem. The horrifying scent of burning bodies: Disgusting, but manageable. The disturbing aroma of ten to twenty rotten corpses: Barely tolerable. However, the scent penetrating the air almost made him lose his dinner. Batman fought away the urge to gag. _I should start creating a design for a nontoxic industrial strength air freshener…_ An ominous odor reminiscent of a dead skunk that had been marinated in dumpster water for a month, and then had a coyote urinate on it emanated from the poor kid. If it wasn't for the shallow rise and fall of the teen's chest, Batman would have assumed a corpse landed in his arms. It wouldn't be the first time someone accidentally threw a dead body at him.

The only problem with that is the fact he was currently on top of the city's tallest building. No aircraft of any kind in sight. No strange flying people/aliens. Not even an odd mysterious portal. Just a vast, clouded sky with nothing that could give Batman any kind of indication of how the child ended up falling toward this roof. He was thoroughly baffled as to how such an event happened not even ten minutes into his 'brooding' as Alfred called it. But Batman was certain about one thing. _This child desperately needs help._

* * *

 _Author Note: Sorry about the change in writing style. I plan on changing the prologue later so the switch between styles is less awkward._


End file.
